Man charged after alleged threats at Hannah Beazley’s Perth electorate office

A 56-year-old man has been charged after allegedly threatening staff while carrying nunchucks at Western Australian minister Hannah Beazley’s electorate office in Victoria Park, Perth, on Wednesday, 21 October. Nobody was injured, but Beazley said her staff were shaken by the incident.

Police responded to a report of a disturbance at the office at about 1.15pm, according to ABC News Australia. Police said the man allegedly made verbal threats while in possession of an improvised martial arts weapon described as nunchucks. He was arrested nearby in Bentley and taken into custody.

Charges and court appearance

Beazley was away from the office when the disturbance occurred. She said two staff members were there and described them as rattled by a confronting situation. According to Beazley, the man allegedly tried to lean through a security screen, while the staff remained at a safe distance.

Beazley said she believed the man wanted access to her, but she did not know his motivation. She said her primary concern was the welfare of her staff and that she had received threats before.

Security concerns after separate attack on Helen Haines

The charges come in the same week as a separate alleged attack on federal independent MP Helen Haines outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria. Haines was hospitalised with severe injuries. Authorities have not established a connection between that incident and the disturbance at Beazley’s office.

Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said he was appalled by the incident at Beazley’s office and that people should be able to do their jobs without facing threats, ABC reported. He said he wanted electorate offices to remain open to constituents, while he was considering restricting public access to the Parliament House car park as part of security measures.